Being Strong
by HarryGinnyfan
Summary: A short glimpse back into Ginny Weasley's childhood at the Burrow. HG


Being Strong

"I wanna be the kitty!" squealed Ginny while Fred rolled his eyes at George.

"Ginny, you're always the cat." Fred tried to reason with her. "Why don't you try a…"

"Unicorn!" George offered, spotting Ginny's stuffed unicorn, Muzzy.

"No." Five-year-old Ginny crossed her arms, stubbornly. "I'm always a _kitty_, not a cat. Besides, Muzzy's being the unicorn."

"I call I get to be a world-famous Quidditch player!" Ron yelled from across the room as he slammed two Quidditch figurines into each other.

Ginny looked upset. "Ronnie, Quidditch players have to go away a lot. Does that mean you won't play with us?"

"No, Ginny. That just means I get to be on my broom all the time."

Ginny nodded and counted on her stubby fingers. "Okay. Let's see… we still need a daddy, mommy, and a baby. Percy, you pick! Who do you wanna be?

"I'll be the Minister of Magic."

"Noooooo, Percy," she whined. "You never listen! You're going to have to be… the baby." Ginny smiled wickedly. Though she hated being the youngest child and only girl, it did have its advantages. She could get anything she desired from anyone in her family, and she knew it.

"No! I will _not_. Yesterday you wouldn't play Ministry of Magic with me, so now I won't play your stupid game."

"It's not a stupid game! It's called _house_. You're being the stupid one!"

"Why should I play your game when you were too busy writing in that dumb diary of yours yesterday to play mine? You can't even write, for goodness sake! Silly scribbles all over the page, thinking they actually mean something," Percy retorted.

That was it. Percy had crossed the line. How could he think that what she was writing was just scribbles? She knew what she was writing, and that was all that counted. Ginny looked crestfallen. The tears lining her eyes threatened to cascade down her face.

Fred and George looked at each other nervously. Ginny didn't cry often, but when she did it was bad. Very bad.

Fred sighed. "Percy, just be the dumb baby, and we'll play with you tomorrow. Apologize to Ginny."

Percy remained silent.

"We'll tell Mum, Perce," George continued. That would get him. Now, normally, the twins wouldn't interfere with miniscule rivalries, but Ginny loved her diary. Mum had given it to her on her fifth birthday in the hopes that she would learn to write, and Ginny had grown attached to the little book. She spent hours pouring over it every day.

Fred stared at Percy as his arms slowly uncrossed themselves.

Sure enough, a moment later or so there was a "Sorry, Ginny" heard from the other corner of the room.

The tears quickly dematerialized from Ginny's eyes.

"S'ok Percy. But for that, you'll have to play the baby _and_ you're name will be Raisin."

"Ginny, can't it be a normal name? Raisin isn't even a name!"

"Unless you're a piece of fruit," Fred snickered under his breath to George.

Ginny looked at Percy. "So?" she challenged.

"Fine," answered a disgruntled Percy.

"Good boy! Now we need a mommy and a daddy." Ginny turned her head to Fred and George and raised one eyebrow. This would be fun.

The twins exchanged a look. George was the first to speak.

"Uh… no way, Ginny."

"No, no, no, no, no."

"I…"

"He…"

"We're…"

Ginny sat there innocently, staring back at them with her big brown eyes.

"But we're… He and I are…"

There was a silence and a pause.

George sighed. "Fine. You win."

Fred interrupted. "But only this once – never again will we do this!"

Ginny grinned triumphantly. "So, who's who?"

They exchanged glances, and Ginny stifled a giggle. She would let them work it out for themselves.

"Ron, we're going to start soon. Put away your toys."

Ginny opened the door and skipped down the stairs into the backyard. She knew they would follow her. They always did.

When they reached the garden, Fred and George were done negotiating.

"So?" Ginny questioned.

"George is the mum, I'm the dad," Fred said proudly, while George threw him a dirty look.

Ginny briefly wondered how they had worked it out, but she was too excited to ask.

"Ready… set… GO!" Ginny laughed and dropped to her hands and knees. She began prowling around the backyard, occasionally muttering a 'Meow' or purring slightly.

Ginny pranced from bush to bush, very aware that nobody was really playing. Fred and George were arguing over something, Ron was on his toy broomstick, and Percy stood in the middle of the yard with his arms crossed.

Percy was her first target. Ginny made her way over to Percy's feet and started rubbing her short red hair on his ankles.

"Rrreow?"

"_What_, Ginny?" Percy asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

Why wasn't he playing along? He promised her that he would! Now she had to break her character.

"Perrrcyyyyy, you're supposed to be a _baby_, not a prat!"

Ron stifled a laugh.

"Fine," Percy spoke half-heartedly. "How's this? _Wah… wah…_"

"Very good," Ginny's voice dripped with sarcasm, and she pointed to his feet. "Babies can't stand. And George…" His smile was wiped off his face as the small five-year-old strode over to him. "…you need to take care of Raisin!"

"Okay. Hello, Raisin."

"You need to sound like a mummy, too."

"You mean I need to raise my voice?" George groaned.

"Gin, don't you think George already sounds like a girl?" Fred sniggered, getting a punch in the arm from George.

Ginny shook her head vehemently.

"Fine." George cleared his throat. "Hi, Raisin," he said in an abnormally squeaky voice.

"You still aren't a mummy!"

"Well, no, since I'm a _boy_. Gin, this is ridiculous. Why don't _you_ be the mum?"

"No, silly. I'm the kitty, remember?" Ginny placed a small finger on her chin. "I have an idea! Don't move. Ron, go get as much long grass as you can find out by the pond, and bring it back here."

And with that, Ginny ran back inside the Burrow as fast as her little legs could carry her. Fred and George were left blinking at each other.

But as soon as she left, she was back. Only this time, she was clutching a pink object victoriously in her hand.

"I'm back!" she yelled as she entered the garden.

Fred tilted his head sideways. "Why do you have your winter hat?"

"It's for George!" she declared as she dashed past him. "Ron, do you have the grass?"

"Yes," Ron grudgingly answered, holding up handfuls of reeds and brush. "Why do I listen to you?"

Ginny chose not to answer that question. Instead, she focused on George, who was looking at the pink hat in revulsion.

"What do you mean to do with that? Is it for me?"

"Of course it is! I already said that. So are these." Ginny waved the reeds in the air. "Come here and sit down. Now… close your eyes…."

George sat down in front of her but didn't close his eyes. Whatever she was doing, it couldn't be good.

Slowly, Ginny went to work. She laid the reeds over his head one at a time. Meticulously, she moved a single reed to the left. Then, she stepped back and tilted her head. Finally satisfied with the disarray of grass on George's head that had piled up after a few minutes, Ginny uncurled her fingers to reveal the pink hat. Opening the hat up, she rammed it onto the pile of weeds precariously sitting on George's head.

"There! Now you have long hair like a mum!"

Behind them, Ron was rolling on the ground laughing with Fred. Even Percy was hunched over, trying not to laugh.

George looked up, horrified, and then ripped off the grass and the hat.

"That's it! This is where I draw the line. You will _not_ dress me up like a girl and get away with it! Come on guys, let's go."

Ginny watched as George headed towards the house, followed quickly by Fred. Percy stumbled over his robes, trying to catch up, grateful to get away from his sister's ridiculous game.

She then spun around to face Ron.

"Ron?" she whispered, hurt. She wasn't very close to her other brothers, but Ron was her best friend.

Ron shrugged in resignation and went to follow his brothers back into the Burrow.

Ginny stood in the middle of the yard, alone, with the trees rustling in the wind around her. She watched as the four boys retreated towards the house.

Ginny let her legs buckle behind her as she plopped down on the lawn.

They had never ditched her before.

Ginny watched as they entered the Burrow, disappearing behind the door one by one. Ginny Weasley was deserted.

All she had done was put some harmless grass on her brother's head! Was it wrong to want to play with her brothers?

The more and more she thought about it, the bitterer she became. It wasn't her fault at all! They were just using her because she was the youngest.

Ginny plucked up a handful of grass and let it fall from her fingers. How dare they use her just because she was small?

And then it occurred to Ginny.

She was small.

It was time to use her size to her advantage.

Very quietly, Ginny crept back into the house and carefully crawled up the stairs. One step at a time, she managed to get to the top with minimal creaking.

Sidling down the corridor, Ginny could hear laughter coming from Fred and George's room. She stood with her body against the wall, just next to their open doorway, hardly breathing.

"We can't just keep playing house for the rest of our lives!" Percy exclaimed.

"At least you didn't have to be a _girl_," George said, horrified.

"You have to admit it was funny," Fred chuckled.

"I guess, but next time you can wear the wig and talk in a squeaky voice."

"Hopefully there won't be a next time."

"What do you mean, Perce?" Fred asked.

"I suggest we start a private association," Percy proposed.

"You mean a secret club?" Ron was on the edge of his seat now.

Ginny squirmed outside the door. She wanted to join this club, too!

"An association, yes. We would need to start a guidebook of rules and, of course, we would need leaders. Before we start anything, though, we need the rules in order…" Percy continued on, but the others tuned him out.

"We should build a clubhouse and put it in the great oak tree by the pond!" George yelled.

"Wicked…" Fred smiled.

"I'm sure we could get Dad to build it for us," Ron said, already excited. "And we could have snacks up there once a week. Real snacks, not biscuits like at one of Ginny's tea parties."

Ginny couldn't take it any longer. She burst into the room at top speed.

"Wait! I want to join the club!" she blurted.

The four boys sat on Fred's bed, and looking startled to see her. They exchanged glances. George was the first to speak.

"You can't."

"Why not?" she whined. She had never been purposely excluded before.

"Because it's a boys' only club. No girls are allowed," Fred explained.

Ginny felt as though she had been hit by a Bludger. No girls allowed? She wanted to yell at them and cry, but instead she just glared at them.

"You'll pay for this." And she walked out of the twins' room, stopping right outside the doorway.

"Do you think she's serious?"

"No. It's just Ginny. What's she going to do?"

"Yeah, you're right. Now, let's get back to our planning."

Those were the last words that Ginny heard before darting into her parents' room. Fuming, Ginny searched around for her father's spare wand that the twins often got their hands on.

After ransacking the entire bedroom, Ginny found it under a floorboard just below her parents' bed.

Ginny held it up triumphantly and made her way back into the solace of her bedroom.

Sitting down on her bed, Ginny picked up Muzzy and gave her a kiss.

"I'm sorry, Muzzy. I will always love you," she spoke to the stuffed unicorn. After she had given her another kiss, she set it down in the middle of her bed.

Pointing the wand at the stuffed animal, Ginny concentrated all her might on turning the stuffed unicorn into an ugly stuffed troll. She even tried a few incantations to no avail. Only sparks appeared out the end of the wand.

Ginny was trying her seventh and final incantation, ready to give up, when a stray spark leapt onto the unicorn and caught fire. She watched as the silver horn started blackening. She let it spread some more, and then blew out the flame.

There sat her most prized possession, ruined. The ears were scorched, and the horn had been destroyed completely. Most of the fur was burned off. It didn't even look like a unicorn at all.

It was perfect.

Ginny took a moment or so to gather tears and let them cascade down her face. She opened her door and stormed down the stairs in hysterics.

"Muuuuummmm!" Ginny screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Ginny dear, what's wrong?" Her mother came out of the kitchen to meet her at the bottom of the stairs.

Ginny thrust the blackened unicorn into her mum's hand.

"What is this, Ginny?" Her mother flipped it over to examine it, slightly concerned.

"It's Mu- Muzzy, Mum!" she wailed. "The twins thought it would be f-funny if they burned her! I h-heard them talking about Dad's spare wand…"

Ginny almost smiled when her mum's face turned the color of a Quaffle.

"FRED! GEORGE! GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" she yelled up the stairs. Mrs. Weasley wiped the tears gingerly off of Ginny's face and brought her into the kitchen.

Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table when Fred and George peered around the door.

"Yes, Mum?" Fred spoke up first.

Mrs. Weasley spun around holding Muzzy.

"Do you think this is funny?" She demanded.

"Err… what is that thing?" George asked.

"DON'T YOU DARE PLAY INNOCENT!"

"But-"

"No buts! What did you think you were doing? Are you honestly going to tell me that you had no part in this?"

"Err…."

"Now my peaceful afternoon has been interrupted, and poor Ginevra doesn't have her favorite stuffed animal!" She gestured to Ginny sitting at the table with blotchy eyes, sipping at a cup of hot chocolate. Mrs. Weasley turned back around, but Fred and George continued to stare at Ginny.

Were they just imagining the tear rimmed eyes? Was her face really red from crying?

She couldn't have done this herself, could she?

Just then, Ginny raised her eyebrow at them and gave the briefest of a smirk.

Fred and George just gawked.

"Go up to your room. You are both grounded! For a _month_!"

But the twins barely paid attention. The masters themselves had just been outsmarted by their five-year-old sister.

"Yes, Mum," they answered in unison.

"Good. Now run along."

Mrs Weasley sat down at the table and sighed.

"Those two…" She turned to her daughter. "I'm sorry, dear. Older brothers can be mean sometimes. I remember when I was your age. Oh, yes, I remember perfectly. My two brothers would constantly ch-" Mrs. Weasley stopped abruptly when she noticed her little daughter staring off into space. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to bore you."

"It's okay, Mummy. Could I be excused?"

"Of course."

Ginny walked back up the stairs feeling slightly guilty. She hadn't meant to get them grounded for a month! She just wanted to make them sorry that they messed with Ginevra Weasley.

Ginny reached the top of the landing and made her decision.

She headed towards the twin's room and cracked the door open.

"Fred? George?"

She was surprised to hear Ron answer her.

"Come on in, Gin."

She walked in to see her four brothers sitting on Fred's bed again, staring at her in awe.

"Wicked," Fred whispered.

"Amazing," George laughed in shock.

"Outstanding."

"Miraculous."

"Unbelievable."

"Welcome to the club, Gin."

Ginny beamed and launched herself onto the bed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A much older Ginny took her daughter's hand and leapt out of the pensive.

"I hope you learned something today, little one," Ginny said, kneeling down to her eye level.

"You mean I should eavesdrop on James and Dustin, and if they say anything bad about me I can tell on them?

"Erm… not exactly."

"Too bad you and Daddy don't have a spare wand," the little girl thought out loud.

'_Not that you know of, no,'_ Ginny thought to herself.

"Should I build a treehouse? Maybe I should play house with them! Is that what you mean?"

'_Great. Now I've confused my daughter. I keep forgetting how young she is,_' Ginny thought.

"No, Avariella Potter," Ginny said as she tucked her daughter into her bed. "I'm telling you to be yourself. Don't let your brothers bother you, and don't let it affect you. Be strong, Avariella, be strong."


End file.
